As special counsel Robert Mueller builds his case, relatives of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn are among those pressing the president to use his unique legal power and ‘put these defendants out of their misery.’

Gianni Pittella, leader of the Socialists & Democrats group in the European Parliament, has not left yet. But the battle to succeed him is already raging.

While the Italian MEP is campaigning to win a Senate seat in Italy’s coming election, many of his colleagues say they will either push for Udo Bullmann, the interim leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group, to replace Pittella, or opt for a woman (and a non-German) such as Elena Valenciano, to revive the beleaguered Socialists.

“We know Pittella has very high chances of being elected in Italy and the group is clearly pushing for a woman [to replace him],” said a senior Parliament official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The stakes are high as socialists have been heavily defeated in elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands over the past year. The center left hopes to rally in time for the European election in 2019 and wants a strong parliamentary leader to help them do that.

Last month, Pittella announced he would run for a seat in Italy’s election on March 4, but on the condition that he would take back his job in Brussels if he fails. Bullmann, a German vice president of the S&D, was put in charge during the “transition phase” until Pittella resigns officially — if he gets elected, that is. Bullmann could not be reached for comment.

The election (by secret ballot) to replace Pittella would likely take place shortly after the Italian vote, but some MEPs from the S&D — the Parliament’s second largest group — are already distancing themselves from Bullmann.

The problem is that he’s German and, to some, sounds too much like an old trade unionist.

“Udo is serious and hard-working,” the senior Parliament official said. “But he is too attached to the old social democracy message.”

There are also those who don’t want more Germans in top jobs in the European Parliament. The assembly’s top staffer — Secretary-General Klaus Welle — is German and so is his deputy, Markus Winkler, while three other Germans lead political groups (Manfred Weber of the European People’s Party; Ska Keller, a co-president of the Greens; and Gabi Zimmer who heads the far-left group).

Christine Revault d’Allonnes-Bonnefoy, who leads the French delegation of the S&D, said many in the group also feel uncomfortable with having Bullmann lead a group that has abandoned the Parliament’s “grand coalition” while representing the German SPD, which has agreed to rejoin a “grand coalition” government in Germany (pending a vote by party members).

In 2016, Pittella announced he would abandon a longstanding coalition with the conservative European People’s Party to carve up top jobs and pass legislation. Yet last week the SPD, under the leadership of former Parliament President Martin Schulz, agreed to form a new alliance with Angela Merkel’s conservatives. Schulz has since quit as SPD leader.

“It puzzles us a lot,” Revault d’Allonnes-Bonnefoy said. “We are all aware that we must be audible and coherent vis-à-vis European citizens, otherwise they will never understand where we want to go.”

Competence, not nationality

An increasingly popular option is to pick Valenciano, a vice president of the S&D and a senior member of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE).

Neither Bullmann nor Valenciano have officially said they plan to run, but several Parliament officials said both have expressed privately their willingness to do so. It is not yet clear if Valenciano would get the endorsement of Pedro Sánchez, national leader of the PSOE.

“More and more delegations want her,” the senior Parliament official said. “She has a very diverse political profile.”

When asked if she was going to run to succeed Pittella, Valenciano didn’t rule it out, saying: “I am honored by people’s support. But it’s too soon to make any decisions.”

An experienced MEP and fluent French speaker, Valenciano is a former Spanish member of parliament and was the right-hand woman of Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, a former leader of the PSOE.

Elena Valenciano | Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images

Other names rumored to be in the running include Maria João Rodrigues, a former Portuguese minister, Belgium’s Kathleen Van Brempt and Tanja Fajon of Slovenia.

An aide to João Rodrigues said the Portuguese MEP believed it was “too early to comment.”

“Only after March 4 will it be clear if S&D needs a new leader,” the aide said.

Revault d’Allonnes-Bonnefoy said the French delegation has not chosen a candidate to back but she supports Bullmann’s desire to “closely link” an economic and social program to environmental and energy policies.

On Bullmann’s nationality, she said: “I’ll never adopt any anti-German views because we work very well with the SPD.”

Jo Leinen, another German member of the S&D, said Pittella was still the leader of the group and MEPs would discuss his succession “at the appropriate time after the elections.”

However, Leinen expressed clear support for Bullmann, who “brings the necessary experience and … has proven to be a team-player and skilled consensus builder.”

Still, as the 2019 election is fast approaching, Leinen said, “it is of utmost importance to find the best person for the job.”

Helmut

Neither nationality nor sex should be the crucial point for being candidate or elect, the only and single criterion must be the competence to enforce social democrates throughout the EU as they tend to become an endangered species in nearly all EU countries during the past decade.

Posted on 2/15/18 | 5:07 AM CET

Zan14

The problem for them is not too little socialism and that people just do not understand their otherwise great agenda
As long as they are promoting even organizing illegal migration they will be losing ground.. and since they are corrupted to the core by their pro-migration masters that will continue. There is no incompetent women in charge will save them; identity politics will just make it worse
We’ve seen this happening in another countries where the socialists have been disappearing: just like rats on the sinking ship they bite through each other’s neck to get higher. An ugly diplay of desperation and corruption.

Posted on 2/15/18 | 8:43 AM CET

Capt Europe

Yayyyyy socialism I love it. The thing I love most about socialism is that both types of it originated in Germany and look at all the good its done in the world all thanks to the revolutionary ideas that originate in the heart of our beloved European Union, Germany.

Germany, leading Europe in the past, present and future for the good of all humanity

Posted on 2/15/18 | 2:02 PM CET

n

I love watching Europe’s demographic death.

Posted on 2/15/18 | 2:33 PM CET

~\_O_/~

Socialism – it was a dumb idea in the 19th century. It’s even dumber in the 21st…

Posted on 2/15/18 | 5:23 PM CET

georgi423523

GE0RG1. . . MERKEL RUNS FROM RESPONSIBILITY FOR NOW AS THERE IS DEBT OF SOME 1 TRILLION DOLLARS AUSTRIA CANNOT SERVICE WELL INVESTED MAINLY IN CEE, ALSO SOME 0.91 TRILLIONS TARGET 2 GIVEN TO OTHER EU COUNTRIES TO SUBSTITUTE LEAVING DEPOSITS DIFFICULT TO COLLECT BACK , AS WELL AS GERMANY BANKS LOST A LOT OF DEPOSITS THAT THE NEXT GOVERNMENT HAS TO ADMIT TOGETHER WITH A LOT OF ILLEGALLY PRINTED MONEY BY ECB THAT LEAD TO HYPERINFLATION SPIRAL. WHY SCHAUBLE WENT IN THE PARLIAMENT FOR IMMUNITY? No one else will buy recklessly junk bonds to collect them with force so EU will fall apart without Merkel , so the circles behind her push her strongly to be premier to keep their share bubble and wealth and all others run away to support her or take responsibility of reckless investments and loans she is so confused and greedy that may expect even I to pay them. Check Target 2 data these days for last month as I describe, I suppose they may be cheated by ECB fear of happening deposit run. Deposits leaving EU banks , rationing is coming in EU. USA may steal them ,so diversify. See how EUR declines 20 % close to currency crisis 25 % and ECB bluffs with interventions these days. Catalonia banks move their headquarters and may very soon impose deposit rationing. Then all EU will expect deposit rationing for them and deposits will leave. Bundesbank’s TARGET2 claims increase a lot to some

Posted on 2/18/18 | 11:53 AM CET

georgi423523

0.91 trillions at end 2017 according to monthly updated by them website where you can also see time series as Germany should not be able to provide much more means for mainly Spain , Italy but also Portugal , Greece banks in trouble to cover for their non reversible process of leaving deposits you may find on line. There will be soon deposit rationing in EU as the ECB bluff for growth and election changes in France , Germany does not work. . . . Require deposit rationing from Draghi as his friends will try to take complete deposits out and the loss of banks and costs for refinancing leaving deposits will be paid by you. There are some trillion loss for some trillion deposits left and most Europeans realize such connection as they move deposits ..See low prices of banks in EU as proof for trillions of assets. Main loss is coming from bad loans in eastern Europe some of the greatest in the world and bad prospects for growth in EU due to high government debts and wage rigidities. Follow Austrian banks telecoms as EU tries to sell lemons first. Greek banks are bankrupted with assets in Eastern Europe , Austrian banks work in the same region and their banks and telecoms data may be cheated . Follow also for illegal activities as money washing Austrian banks and telecoms. Follow EBRD condition , competence and fund mismanagement as well as all funds that cover eu sovereign bonds. Yellena may steal EU deposits. Ask them until when they will endanger the health of my family for the facts I reveal that endangers their financial markets forever. My family was moderately poisoned these days to scare me not to write here. I DO NOT HAVE COPY RIGHTS SO DISTRIBUTE IN EU ON LINE EDITIONS CAREFULLY.